Rise of The Runelords

Part 4 - The Misgivings

8

OCT/13

The Sandpoint Deputies decide to head directly for Foxglove Manor. To say they were surprised by the sight, would be an understatement. Foxglove Manor sat at the edge of a cliff, vegetation surrounding it seemed stunted and diseased. As they approached, moving past the burnt remains of the servants quarters, they saw a flock of odd crows fly away. The Manor itself was menacing and grotesquely rotted, covered with mold. Garram began throwing weaponry at the gargoyles hanging off the eaves. He insisted he’s had troubles with statues being more thant they let on before.

Using the key from the Ghast, they opened the front door of the manor, and were greeted by old decaying trophies of Foxgloves of old. Boar heads, and Stag heads, and the crowning prestige, a 12-foot long stuffed manticore. Chopska caught a whiff of burning flesh and hair, but was unable to determine the source, and Messer thought he had heard a woman’s sobs.

Moving north, they came across what seemed to have been a piano room. Garram decided to play a couple notes on the piano, commenting that despite it’s decayed state, it seemed in perfect tune. All of a sudden, the piano burst into a song of it’s own making, and Garram seemed caught up in a dance. As he danced he seemed to grow weaker, as though his life force was being drained, as quickly as it began, it ended and he collapsed.

The Deputies continued on, until they came across a bathroom with a mysterious sound in the tub. Chopska inexplicably decided to lock himself in the bathroom. The source of the sound, a diseased rat, scampered up and bit Chopska, infecting him with a mysterious disease.

Chopska decided to then use his burning hands spell in this enclosed space, burning himself as well. He emerged covered in soot, much to the confusion of the rest of the party.
Travelling back around, they came back to the main entrance again, where the manticore sprung to ferocious life, stinging Chopska.

The party discovered two stairs, one up and another down. Hon Qui, Messer, and Garram decided to go downstairs, where they came across a kitchen. Giving the Kitchen the ol’ looting, they failed to hear the swarms of rats that infested the pantry until they emerged. The swarms covered Hun Qui and Messer, biting them constantly and infecting them with disease. Garram decided to use a scroll he kept for such an occasion, a burning hands scroll. He managed to burn off some of the rats off Messer, while Hun Qui Punched the rest to death.

Meanwhile, Chopska and Adoror discover a gallery, with each portrait covered by cobwebs. The two uncovered each portrait, revealing the Foxglove family history, from Aldern, to Traver, to Vorel, the founder of the manor itself. When all the portraits were uncovered, each became a grotesque caricature of how the subject died, with Vorel’s exploding into a mass of fungus. Chopska’s disease refestered, and Chopska became convinced that his arm had exploded into red pus-covered boils, though Adoror couldn’t see any of this.

The three in the basement had come to an iron door, after some time, Garram managed to pick the lock. Walking in, Messer was overcome by an urge to read some of the tomes in this old and decayed laboratory. Upon reading he was overcome with terrible visions of a failed ritual to lichdom taking place in the manor, as Vorel was interrupted by his wife, suffering a terrible backlash. Messer was possessed and compelled to flee upstairs to find ‘his child’, and when Garram tried to stop him, he began to attack the tiefling. Garram managed to knock Messer unconscious, and when he came to, he was himself, albeit confused and flustered. Finding only a pit with an old staircase, Garram experienced a vision of a half-crazed Aldern digging the very pit they look upon, upon breaking it open, a half dozen ghoul’s reached out and pulled Aldern in, tearing him asunder. Garram shook his head, and the pit was once again empty. Shaken, he convinces Hun Qui and Messer to regroup upstairs with Adoror and Chopska.

Adoror and Chopska decided to look into an observatory, looking upon the beautiful stained glass windows, one of which was partially burnt and broken. Chopska smelled a whiff of burning flesh, and became convinced that he was on fire, and that only by plunging into the sea below could he save himself. Adoror tried desperately to grab him as he leapt at the window, but alas, Chopska shattered through the window, landing upon the rooftop in a blood unconscious heap, he slid towards a weather vane, it luckily breaking his fall.

Unfortunately, Chopska’s organs too much injury, and he bled to death upon the precipice.
Though Adoror bravely rescued his body, they had no way to bring him back. Attaching him to Messer’s back, they continued downwards to where the pit was discovered, determined to avenge their fallen comrade.

Travelling down the spiral stairs, they came across an underground cavern. Within was a Skaveling, a Ghoul Bat, that attacked and maimed Hun Qui. The Deputies managed to kill it, and found a macabre collection of corpses. One being an infamous bandit that had been famous for robbing caravans over the last decade and proof of his death would bring quite the reward.

Continuing onwards, they fought more ghouls, before coming across the worst encounter yet, some goblins had strayed too close to The Skinsaw Man, and had been turned into Ghasts. These unholy Goblin Ghasts proved absolutely obnoxious, but Adoror smote all four.

There remained only one more door.

When Garram opened it, he was disturbed by what he saw. Personal objects of his that had gone missing strewn across tables with rotting flesh, caricatures drawn of him all over, and a grotesque painting made of blood and guts lay in the corner. Sitting behind a blood-soaked chair, in the same clothes he wore when Garram and Adoror had seen him last, was Aldern Foxglove.
At least, that’s who he was, The Skinsaw Man stood from the chair, and when he saw Garram he smiled. “You have come to join the pack, your friends will die, and you will be mine.”
He placed a mask made of skins on his face, and in an instant, he took upon Garram’s visage, charging at him wildly. The Deputies fought fiercely, defending Garram from the onslaught from this insane ghast. The Horror fought fiercely, but Adoror struck with the might of Iomedae, literally exploding the undead horror in a macabre shower of gore.

With Hun Qui and Garram severely wounded and unconscious, Messer and Adoror consecrated the Manor, purifying it of the taint of Vorel’s failed lichdom, and pulled their companions out of the manor into a wagon with Chopska’s corpse.

When they arrived at Sandpoint, they interred their departed friend, split up his possessions due to a lack of a will, and Garram used his growing illegal wealth to purchase his former business partner’s shop.